Onyx Boox Go 10.3 assessment: A note-taking companion

I really like utilizing e-ink tablets as a distraction-free strategy to jot down notes, annotate PDFs, and particularly learn e-books. I’ve tried an honest number of e-ink tablets over the previous few years, and I exploit a number of in my each day life as e-readers. Many e-ink tablets and e-readers have considerably locked down methods, all within the identify of offering a ‘distraction free’ expertise, however this additionally means restricted file codecs and app compatibility. That is the place the Boox Go 10.3 is available in, an e-ink tablet that runs on Android 12.

Boox despatched me the Go 10.3 for assessment, and I’ve spent the previous two weeks utilizing it to learn e-books, PDFs, in addition to note-take, and I’ve come away with some notes on the Go 10.3’s efficiency. It is a productiveness pill that incorporates a minimalist design and an all-around nice 300 ppi show. Personally, I believe the Boox Go 10.3 is likely one of the finest e-ink tablets in the marketplace for note-taking and e-reading.

Advisable

Boox Go 10.3

The Onyx Boox Go 10.3 is a superb productivity-focused e-paper pill that handles a number of file codecs with ease. It comes bundled with the Boox Pen Plus stylus, and may run apps from the Google Play Retailer due to Android 12 assist.

Worth, specs, and availability

The Onyx Boox Go 10.3 was launched in the summertime of 2024 and is presently accessible from Onyx and Amazon for $380. It comes with 4GB of onboard RAM and 64GB of flash storage, and solely is available in a monochromatic silver coloration scheme. The Go 10.3 is powered by Android 12, so along with the built-in note-taking app, you may obtain any note-taking app of your alternative from the Google Play Retailer. A purchase order of the Boox Go 10.3 does embrace Onyx’s stylus, which is critical for the expertise, so I used to be comfortable to see it included alongside a magnetic cowl case and the USB Sort-C charging cable.

I liked the sensation of holding the Boox Go 10.3 whereas studying and annotating PDFs and e-books. It is extremely skinny, measuring simply 4.6mm in thickness, it weighs 375g, which I discovered so as to add a little bit of weight to the machine, but additionally made it really feel safer. It feels very premium, and the Boox eco-leather backing of the Go 10.3 provides some further grip and a cushty stage of texture to the design. The ten.3-inch show on the Go 10.3 is excellent, that includes a 2480×1860 decision coupled with 300 ppi that ensures that textual content on-screen all the time appears sharp and readable.

What I like concerning the Onyx Boox Go 10.3

Whether or not I used to be studying an e-book or engaged on a PDF, the standard of e-ink distinction was spectacular with detailed traces and nice fill sections, particularly in photos. I attempted a wide range of totally different file codecs utilizing the built-in Boox NeoReader utility, and every little thing regarded nice, from PDF information to .CBZ comedian strips. I discovered the built-in reader to be nice for all kinds of information — plus, you may doodle or annotate pages with ease — and the built-in notes app has every little thing I want. You’ll be able to, after all, obtain any most popular note-taking or e-reading app by way of the Google Play Retailer, however remember the fact that not all note-taking apps are optimized for e-writers, even when they do assist tablets.

Whereas utilizing the Boox Go 10.3, I discovered plenty of similarities with the ReMarkable 2 e-writer, which additionally supplies a fantastic studying and writing expertise, however is almost 4 years previous at this level. The Go 10.3 undoubtedly felt like a worthy refresh and enchancment upon ReMarkable’s e-ink pill, and I’ve almost converted to the Go 10.3 now as my each day driver for note-taking and drafting. I additionally actually respect you can entry your complete Boox ecosystem with the Go 10.3 all without spending a dime. In contrast to the ReMarkable 2, there is not any subscription required to make use of any of the options of the built-in Boox apps. Aspect-loading information by way of BooxDrop is completely free and easy, so you may switch information backwards and forwards very simply.

The writing expertise is completely implausible. Identical because the show, Boox received the capacitive contact display completely appropriate. It options the usual 4,096 layers of strain sensitivity that you will discover on some other high-quality e-writer, and I discovered it to be extremely responsive in my testing. Cursive handwriting is responsive, feeling and looking nice, and brush strokes really feel extremely pure. Among the many native Boox apps, there’s the built-in RSS reader, PushRead, together with the Boox NeoBrowser, which is an effective way to entry the web from the pill. As I discussed earlier, the built-in Notes app has every little thing you want from sketch types, to-do lists, to each day planning and calendar capabilities.

Boox made customizing the Go 10.3 to tailor your individual wants simple, with accessible settings and pre-optimized refresh charges for the e-ink show which are geared in the direction of several types of content material. Boox has gone by way of the hassle to optimize most of the hottest Android apps for the Go 10.3, and whereas Android 12 might really feel a bit dated, it capabilities completely nicely on the e-writer. Boox has constructed their very own custom-made model of Android 12 for the Boox Go collection tablets, and I discovered no points or frustrations with the OS in my time with each the Go 10.3 and the Boox Go Color 7 that I additionally reviewed. Android 12 has been streamlined on the Boox Go 10.3, and you will find every little thing you want proper once you begin up the machine for the primary time.

The Boox Go 10.3 incorporates a 3,700 mAh battery, however with no front-lighting, you may rise up to per week’s price of cost with the Go 10.3. There’s a built-in microphone and audio system, and in the event you use the audio system continuously you may drain the battery quicker. The microphone offered surprisingly clear audio seize, however the audio system weren’t my favourite. Fortunately, there may be Bluetooth assist on the Go 10.3, so you may pair your favourite wi-fi headphones with none fuss.

What I did not like concerning the Onyx Boox Go 10.3

No expandable storage and a weak pen

The Boox Go 10.3 solely comes with 64GB of inner storage, and in contrast to different Boox e-readers and writers, there is not any expandable microSD card slot. It’s kind of shocking that an e-ink pill aimed toward productiveness would not embrace an SD card reader, and whereas BooxDrop is a simple strategy to ship information backwards and forwards, it will be good to have expandable machine storage. I additionally did not love the included stylus that Onyx ships with the Boox Go 10.3 — it is not a deal-breaker, however I did not discover it to be essentially the most comfy stylus once I in contrast it with the ReMarkable 2’s.

With all Boox units, you get entry to the Boox Retailer app, which is a little bit of a misnomer, as you may’t truly buy something from it. The Boox Retailer supplies you with free entry to public area titles, so it is an effective way to learn previous classics, nevertheless it’s not an actual retailer. Once more, with Android 12 assist, it is not an excessive amount of a problem as you may obtain any e-book retailer of your alternative, however it’s one thing to maintain word of when utilizing the Go 10.3.

Must you purchase the Onyx Boox Go 10.3?

The Onyx Boox Go 10.3 is a superb e-ink productiveness pill, and it could be the primary e-writer that I’ve examined that has satisfied me to change over from the ReMarkable 2. I actually respect the extra performance that comes with having Android 12 on the Go 10.3, and its general design is nice, with top-of-the-line e-ink shows I’ve examined. The note-taking expertise is fantastic, and whereas I did not love the included stylus, you may deliver your individual pen and nibs over to the Go 10.3, and there are a number of e-writer display protectors in the marketplace that can add an much more detailed paper really feel to the show.

At $380, there is not any denying the Onyx Boox Go 10.3 is a premium e-ink pill, nevertheless it’s additionally in-line with — and cheaper — than most of the e-ink tablets in the marketplace. I consider that the development of the Onyx Boox Go 10.3 and spectacular show justifies the fee, and that is my new favourite productivity-focused pill. If you’re out there for a productiveness e-ink pill that is nice for note-taking and studying paperwork, I heartily suggest the Onyx Boox Go 10.3

Advisable

Boox Go 10.3

The Onyx Boox Go 10.3 is a superb productivity-focused e-paper pill that handles a number of file codecs with ease. It comes bundled with the Boox Pen Plus stylus, and may run apps from the Google Play Retailer due to Android 12 assist.

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Kobo has launched two coloration e-readers, together with the Kobo Libra Color and Kobo Clara Color, including a splash of vibrancy to the sometimes grayscale world of digital e-book readers. The hues are muted, however they nonetheless look nice, permitting you so as to add colourful notes, doodles, and luxuriate in e-book covers in all their coloured glory. Nonetheless, this makes the units dearer, and plenty of e-reader customers won’t care about coloration of their books and notes. Amazon nonetheless hasn’t launched its tackle a coloration e-reader, although the tech big is rumored to be engaged on a number of units. With all of this in thoughts, do you care about coloration e-readers? Or is it an addition you would like you did not must pay for?